Green Arrow #39 Review

Writers: Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly

Artist: Marcio Takara

Colourist: Marcelo Maiolo

Letterer: Deron Bennett

We have new a new Green Arrow team coming up soon, being Julie and Shawna Benson and Javier Fernandez. With this, this issue is such obvious filler until our new team jumps on with May's Annual #2. Over the past few years, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly's DC work mostly, if not entirely, consists of them jumping on for a few issues for some filler work or to conclude a run, such as their work on Grayson. They're even doing Nightwing for two issues before Benjamin Percy takes over.

This issue was just boring to read. The last thing I want to see following an arc detailing exactly why Green Arrow is such a hero for the people of Seattle, was a story where Oliver travels to the fictional Middle Eastern nation of Rhapastan. I understand this story from an Oliver Queen perspective, since the only reason he's there is to provide aid to the people of this war-torn country. However, Lanzing and Kelly just don't make it work. This is incredibly boring and awfully paced, and I felt like I was reading an over-sized issue.

The story is predicated on this old Deathstroke story, I assume from the New 52. The involvement of Deathstroke is infinitely more interesting than what we get here, with this boring, nothing villain, pun intended. You'll get it if you read the issue. Which I'm guessing I don't recommend you do. I also don't get exactly why Lanzing and Kelly depict Oliver as being so liberal with his secret identity. He's clearly using a very green bow at one point; somebody is going to notice. It's not like what happens in Rhapastan stays in Rhapastan.

The art is even subpar. I'm never been a fan of Marcio Takara but this is worse than the usual Takara art I've seen. It's undetailed in all the wrong places and his character acting isn't too interesting to look at. Marcelo Maiolo's colours have a unique feel normally but here it could have been any colourist and I wouldn't have been able to tell who did the work. Takara's action is fine, though. There's solid energy and action in a lot of the scenes, it just doesn't look as good as it should.

This was a boring issue and it should be skipped. It's clear this is just nonsense filler work so you'd best save your money until the Bensons and Fernandez jump on. The story is paper thin boring, and the art is even weak.